The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-11-02
CHASED BY MALAY PROAS.
by GEORGE IL. COOMER.

Our ship was the Luzon, from New
York for Canton, and we were now IN
the China Sea-
The voyage thus far had proved a
singular one, and though the Luzon
was fast sailing ship, her passage had
been long.
First, before striking the northeast
trade wind in the Atlantic, We had en-
countered a succession OF southerly
gales, and at the end of these tedious
calm of twenty-five days.
Next, off the Cape de Verd Islands,
we had lost our fore yard in a squall.
were under double-reefed topsails and
foresail, when this squall, sort of
whirlwind, caught us aback, swapping
the yard short off in the sings.
Then off the Cape of Good Hope,
nearly every man on deck was struck
down by bolt of lightning which en-
veloped the ship in a binding glare,
and was accompanied with crash of
thunder that no language can describe.
Luckily, however, the man at the
wheel was less stunned than most of
the others, or we would certainly have
gone to destruction.
Finally, off the Isle of France, we
had met with hurricane which carried
away our mizZenmast, fore and main
topmasts, main yard and jibboom, be-
sides making clean sweep of our bull
warks, staving our two boats, and tax
ing the galley overheard.
We had rugged Jury mizzenmast,
got up a new main yard and couple
of spare topmasts, and so kept on our
way.
The cooks stove had gone over with
his galley, but among the hardware of
our freight we had an invoice of a
dozen stoves, and hence we were able
to replace the lost one.
AS TO galley, we improvised that
the best way we could.
In the Strait of Sunda we fell in
with the ship Cashmere, from Canton
to New York, which reported having
fallen in, off the Island of Borneo, with
an American or European vessel that
had just been captured by Malay pi-
rates
The Malays had set the ship on fire,
and upon discovering the Cashmere
they gave chase to her.
The weather, however, getting very
rough, their proas could not carry sail,
and hence she was able to escape.
Il thought sol" exclaimed Bill Dean,
one of our fellows, as soon as the Cash
mere had passed us; Eve have had all
other sorts of bad luck, and now we are
to be cut into mince meat by a parcel
of Malay piratesl This will be in keep
ing with our kind of good fortune, so ]
suppose it must be all right"
Bill was never disposed 10 look upon
the bright side of things. He believed
in lucky and unlucky ships, days, and
men.
He had already, as he supposed, had
ample proof that the Luzon did not
come under the lucky head, and, in
deed, the facts in the case seemed to
sustain him in his position.
These things had passed, bringing us
to the one hundred and seventy-rrst
day of our voyage; and now here we
were, in dead calm, in the China Sea
the Luzon lying
AS idle a painted ship.
Upon a painted ocean"
I'VE are in for it againl" said Bill
Dean. "We shall be about two months
making the next ten degrees of lati.
tudel"
That's encouraging! said Dick May
hew.
II guess there must be a white stone
among the ballast" remarked Jack
Lee.
Il don't know about that" replied
Tom WEIGH "but | know there arf
b ack beans in the soupp
They spoke iestingly, for at this day
even sailors have come to make light o
some of the more absurd superstitions
of former times, when a white stone in
the ballast, or black bean in the sour
foretold some dreadful misfortune.
Well, there's just this about it,
said Jack Lee; I'VE shan't be troubled
by pirates as long as this weather
lasts.
That's true enough" replied Dicl
MAYHEM; "but who wants to DO tieC
up here to broil to death in the sun
pirates or no pirates?'
81 don't know about it's being tru,
enough, either" said Bill lean. "Wha
do they care for n breeze? They'v,
more sweeps than a cockroach has legs
If they shoild get a sight of us, i
would put us in n fine fix, heading al
around the compass as we are !"
Meanwhile we were kept at work al
usual, for sailors always have enough
TO do, aud are just AZ busy in calm a
storm, though not at the same kind o
task.